Busy busy…before getting stuck into the 1950s I’ve been ploughing through the ‘pending’ folders which, as usual, are overflowing with images from mon ami Francois’ astonishing archives. So if you’d care to take a gander at the WW2 page you’ll find more than 200, yes, 200 newly published wartime pics of men (and woman) and their motor cycles, from the Home Front to the Eastern Front by way of Normandy and North Africa. About 20 more poems have been added, ranging from not bad to delightful. There are now three picture galleries; Melange 3 already has more than 100 assorted images with more to be added on a daily basis—with a backlog of some 2,000 images look out for Melange 4 in due course. And if you’d care to open the ‘ARTWORK/HUMOUR’ page you’ll find in its entirety the 1970s Motor Cycle Weekly cartoon strip Felix, Fanny & Co, courtesy of its creator, Roger Beale. It is truly bonkers. Here are some tasters:
ODE TO A MOTORCYCLE ENGINE:
I have breathed life into this thing of oil and fine ground steel
Held the pieces in my hand, this nut, this spring, that wheel,
I have nurtured every piece that makes this iron heart
Yet tho’ I try my best, the flamin’ thing won’t start!
Motorcycle Timeline 